Pneumatically operated timer



Aug. 19, 1952 c pico EY 2,607,187

PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED TIMER Filed Nov. 25, 1949 INVENTOR. Char Z66 2 (any Patented Aug. 19, 1952 PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED TIMER Charles D. Corey, Huntington, N. Y., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to General Time Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Dela- Application November 25, 1949, Serial No. 129,420

My present invention relates to pneumatically operated timers and aims to provide certain improvements therein.

In many industries, time keeping instruments and clock mechanisms employed as chart drives, cycle timers, etc., are disposed at stations where access to the instruments for manual servicing is not practicable or where electrically operated clock mechanisms can not be used because of the fire and explosion hazards which they introduce.

Accordingly, the primary object of my present invention is to provide a pneumatically operated timer or clock mechanism which obviates the drawbacks of manually serviced or electrically operated clock mechanisms. 'A further object is to provide a clock mechanism of the character specified, which eliminates the need for personal periodic winding, expensive wiring or piping. A further object is to provide a pneumatically operated timer or clock mechanism which is exceedingly simple in construction and operation and which will operate accurately within a relatively wide range of pressures.

The foregoing and other objects of my invention not specifically enumerated I accomplish by providing a clock mechanism with pneumatically operable means for driving the escapement and the gear train. More specifically, I preferably use as the pneumatically operable means, an air turbine for applying a continuous turning moment to the gear train and to the toothed escapement wheel of the clock mechanism. My invention will be fully understood from the detailed description which follows, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment, and wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of a timer or clock mechanism embodying my invention, the casing and details of the gear trains being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, parts thereof being broken away to better illustrate the invention.

My invention may be applied to a conventional clock mechanism from which the main spring has been removed or to a specially constructed clock mechanism having a pair of supporting plates l and H held in spaced apart relation by a plurality of sleeves l 2 and having mounted between said plates a gear train comprising gears I3, H, I5 and I6, and others not illustrated, an escapement [1 and a balance wheel unit I8. The escapement I! as herein shown consists of a toothed escape wheel [9 mounted on a shaft 20 and a detent or pallet 2| mounted on a shaft 2 Claims. (Cl. 58-42) 22 and through which detent periodic impulses are imparted to a balance wheel 23 through a rocking lever 24 carried by the detent, one end of said rocking lever being bifurcated, as shown at 25, and straddling a pin 26 carried by the balance wheel. The balance wheel unit I8 is mounted on a shaft 2'! and includes in addition to the balance wheel 23, a conventional balance spring 28, and an adjustable spring guide 29 by means of which the periodicity of the balance wheel may be varied. Periodic impulses are imparted to the balance wheel to keep it in oscillation by the detent 2| and, in turn, motion is imparted by the return movement of th balance wheel to oscillate the detent. These alternate motions of the detent serve to arrest and release the escape wheel 19 at uniform intervals, thus governing the progressive movement of the gear train which it controls. The parts thus far described may be any conventional type and, per se, form no part of my invention.

According to the present invention, in lieu of the main spring for driving the gear train, I employ a pneumatically operable motor means, herein shown as an air turbine 30 consisting of a hollow turbine wheel 3! mounted within a bridge or housing 32, the turbine wheel having teeth 33 adapted, when subjected to the action of compressed air supplied to the housing through a conduit 34, to impart to said turbine wheel a substantially constant turning moment or mechanical torque. The turbine wheel 3| is mounted within the casing 32 in a manner such that air pressure admitted thereto through the conduit 34 will act upon the substantially radial faces of the turbine wheel teeth 33. The turbine wheel 3| is preferably mounted on an extension of the shaft 20 which projects through the supporting plate ll whereby the mechanical torque imparted to the turbine wheel will be applied to said shaft 20.

In the operation of the device, air under a substantially constant pressure of about 20 lbs. p. s. i. is supplied to the air turbine and functions to impart a mechanical torque thereto which rotates the shaft 20 which carries the escape Wheel 19 and the pinion 13 of the gear train. Continuous rotation of said shaft, however, is prevented and converted into a periodic intermittent rotation through the action of the escapement and the balance wheel in the manner aforementioned. Said periodic intermittent rotation, in turn, is transmitted through the gear train to operate the clock mechanism which may be employed as a chart drive for a recording instrument, for operating a pneumatic pilot valve for performing a cycle operation or any other purpose. The air pressure employed for driving the air turbine need only be sufficient to operate the gear train of the timer, and variations in pressure up to 300% may be used without affecting the accuracy of the timer.

The mechanism hereinbefore described may be enclosed within a suitable casing (not shown) from which the compressed air may escape after performing its useful work.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be appreciated that a timer of the characterdescribed will be capable of accomplishing the various objects of the invention as set forth in the opening statement of this specification, and while I have shown and described but a single embodiment of my invention it will be understood that changes in the specific form of the pneumatically operable motor means may be resorted to within the range of engineering skill without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim is:

1. A pneumatically operable timer comprising a. fluiddelivery conduit connected to a source of gaseous fluidiunder pressure and providing a, continuously flowing uninterrupted gaseous stream, a shaft, a gaseous fluid operated turbine wheel having radial vanes for impingement of said gaseous stream thereon in driving relation, said turbine. wheel being rigidly connected to said shaft in. driving relation, anoutput gear train operated bysaid shaft, and an escapement mechanism having the escape wheel thereof rigidly connected to said shaft and actuated by said shaft for timing the advance of said shaft, the

4 resilience of the gaseous stream accommodating the stopping of said shaft as effected by the escapement mechanism.

2. A pneumatically operable timer comprising a pair of supporting plates, a fluid delivery conduit carried by one of said plates and connected to a source of gaseous fluid under pressure and providing a continuously flowing uninterrupted gaseous stream, a shaft supported by at least one of said plates, a gaseous-fluid operated turbine wheel having radial vanes for impingement of said gaseous stream thereon in driving relation, said turbine wheel being rigidly connected to said shaft in driving relation, an output gear train mounted. between and supported by said plates and operated by said shaft, and an escapement mechanism having the escape Wheel thereof rigidly connected to said shaft and actuated by said shaft for timing-the advance of said shaft, the resilience of the gaseous stream accommodating the stopping of said shaft as effected by the escapement mechanism.

CHARLES D. COREY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

